Ashraya Ananthanarayanan

At an age when most children are discovering their gifts, Ashraya Ananthanarayanan is using her’s to change the world. Only 8 years old, Ashraya has already helped people, animals, and the environment. Her work shows us that anyone can take action to change the world.
Since the age of four, Ashraya has been using her gifts of music, dance, and the written word to affect change upon the world. Her first trick was raising funds for underprivileged kids in India at age four. She followed this up with with a dance recital to raise funds for cancer research. From there, her performances have helped orphans through the Krishnalyer Foundation; animals through the Karunashram Foundation; battered women in rural india through SEWAA; and even convincing officials at her school to stop an insect collecting program, and find alternative means of teaching.
Besides her work raising money for various charities, Ashraya has written articles for PETA, Amazing Kids, DimDima, SOHAM, and many others. She has also written a book on compassion called, The Ring of Hope, which contains stories from the organizations she has contributed to, and real life stories from other individuals. The proceeds from the book will benefit an orphanage and PETA.
Though young, Ashraya Ananthanarayanan has used her various gifts to benefit of others. She has raised money and used her voice to help everyone from cancer patients to battered woman to orphans to turtles to anyone and anything that needs a hand. However, her greatest gift is her compassion for others, and the inspiration she gives us all to make a change to the world around us.